


Hellfire

by DesertLily



Series: Whumptober 2020 [11]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gender Non-Conforming Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nonbinary Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Pining Martin Blackwood, Sick Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sickfic, They/Them Pronouns for Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26943598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: Jon had never been good at looking after themself. It had long since become a habit to simply ignore the fact they were sick or hurt. Their friends, however, take issue with this.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Series: Whumptober 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946296
Comments: 12
Kudos: 149
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Hellfire

**Author's Note:**

> Alternative title for this fic; the author is deeply touch-starved. For the 'fever' prompt for Whumptober!

Jon was not sick. They were perfectly fine, thank you very much - no matter who insisted otherwise. So what if they had a headache and a fever and a cough and...Okay, so maybe they were  _ slightly _ sick but it was hardly worth worrying about! It would be entirely unprofessional to take time off over a mild cold. Particularly as they were the head of their department. Then, there was the inevitable conversation with Elias that would come if they took any time off. It was most definitely worth dragging themself to work in order to avoid it. After all, anything was better than willingly talking to Elias. Something about the man never quite felt right. It always left Jon just that little bit on edge. There was always such an intense feeling of being watched; of being judged. Going into work sick was definitely the better alternative. All they had to do was merely avoid everyone as much as possible; make sure none of them got sick because of them. 

It was approximately ten minutes after arriving at work that Jon deeply regretted their decision of coming in. They were slumped into their office chair and every single part of them  _ ached _ . They felt sore and uncomfortable and just plain foul. Quite frankly, Jon would do anything to just take a nap. But that was unprofessional. They couldn’t just sleep during the work day! Instead, they tried to ignore their discomfort and pushed themself to work. Nothing they read truly stuck in their mind as they reread the same piece of paperwork over and over before trying to file it away. Even if it  _ was _ misfiled, it was still an upgrade from the disorganised mess the archives had been left in. At some point, Martin had come in with tea. Jon didn’t remember much of the conversation - only that they had waved him away when he had offered even the smallest amount of concern. 

As the day progressed, Jon grew worse and worse. Despite the general cool air of the archives, they felt far too hot. Their jacket had long since been abandoned with their tie loose around their neck. But it wasn’t enough. There was still an intense heat lingering on their skin and they had no idea how to stop it. Of course, they had  _ some _ idea as to what caused it but Jon refused to acknowledge that. It wouldn’t do them any good. It would just give them something else to think about; yet another thing to hinder their performance at work. So Jon tried to ignore the way their shirt stuck to their skin with sweat. Instead they focused on reading a statement. If they could keep themself in their daily rhythm then everything would be fine. Jon got less than halfway through the statement before they were resting their head against their desk, grateful for the slight coolness it offered. Their head felt like it was full of cotton. The simple act of reading felt positively Herculean. 

They didn’t hear the door to their office open but they did hear Tim’s voice as he stepped inside. “I got those follow ups you asked for, Boss.” Jon listened as he paused for a moment, slowly moving closer. “...Jon? Are...Are you alright?” The concern in his voice was mildly surprising but not entirely unexpected. They could only imagine the absolute state they must have looked like. 

“I’m fine, Tim. I-...I-” That was when everything went black. Jon just slumped forward on their desk, blissfully lost to unconsciousness. 

The next thing Jon was aware of was  _ burning _ . At least, that’s what it felt like. Their skin seemed like it was on fire as an unwavering heat consumed them. It was  _ too much _ . Everything was too much. They...They just wanted it to stop! They wanted everything to stop! They tried to open their eyes but their eyelids felt so heavy. They just...refused to open. Every part of Jon refused to move as they were seemingly doused in flames. Then there was something cool against their forehead; something calming the heat for a few blissful moments. “Easy.” The voice was soft and familiar but Jon couldn’t place it. They couldn’t think clearly. “You’re okay, Jon. I-We’re going to look after you. You’re going to be just fine…” For whatever reason, they found themself believing the voice as they drifted back into unconsciousness. 

When they finally woke up, it was to the sensation of someone playing with Jon’s hair as their head lay in their lap. They slowly managed to open their eyes. “...Martin?” Their voice was croaky from lack of use. “What…? What happened?” They tried to sit up with Martin quickly moving to help them. 

“Careful. Just...pace yourself.” He moved to pick up a glass of water and hand it to them. It was then that Jon realised they were laying on a sofa.  _ They were laying on a sofa that definitely wasn’t the one in their flat _ . “You’ve been sick. Really sick. You...uh...passed out in your office - really scared Tim. Really scared everyone, actually. None of us really knew where you loved so...so I said you could stay here.” Martin’s face went slightly red as he glanced away from them. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you. I was close to taking you to A&E or at least calling out a doctor if your fever got any worse.” 

Jon was...stunned. Martin had been looking after them? Martin who they always approached with such exasperation and dismissal (a reflection of Jon’s inability to deal with their own feelings) had willingly spent time nursing them back to health? Jon was quiet for a few moments, slowly sipping at their water. “I...Thank you, Martin. I appreciate it. Sincerely.” Their voice was soft and sincere. A fond smile found its way onto their face. 

Martin quickly grew flustered at their words. “It’s fine! It’s absolutely fine! Someone had to look after you and I figured I’d make myself useful for once, you know?” Jon winced slightly at that. Despite what they often said, Martin Blackwood was the opposite of useless. He was  _ incredible _ . But they had never had the best skills at expressing emotions. “You...you said a lot of things before your fever broke. It’s probably just feverish nonsense and I know you don’t mean it but…” He took a deep breath. “You said you love me, Jon.” Well, shit. 

“You’re wrong.” What were they saying? “For once, I did actually say what I meant.” No! Bad Jon! It seemed whatever mental filters they had had been switched off entirely. “I know I’m not good with emotions and that I treat you horribly sometimes, but I have a lot of feelings towards you, Martin. Not a single one of them is bad.” They looked away, feeling their cheeks burn bright red. They tried to pretend that it was just to do with their fever - even if it had long since broken. 

There was silence for a few moments before Jon felt something gently pressed against his forehead. A kiss. Not just any kiss.  _ A kiss from Martin _ . “I...I think we should wait until you’re not still mildly delirious from a recently broken fever but...I’m glad, Jon. I really am.” Jon rested their head against Martin’s shoulder. “I like you. A lot.” Jon couldn’t stop themself from smiling. “More than a lot, actually.” They let out a sound of content as Martin moved to hug them gently. 

Maybe it was worth getting sick. If only because it meant Jon got to be held in the arms of Martin Blackwood. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated or hmu @ desert-lily on tumblr!


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